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Hawaiian Value: 'Ike pono
This episode is the fifth in a series of six shows in which each episode focuses on a specific Hawaiian value. The Hawaiian value for this show is 'ike pono, which means to know what is right. Each of the following stories reflects this theme:
The top story comes from the students at Maui Waena Intermediate School who feature Christopher Malik Cousins, owner of the Farmacy Health Bar in Wailuku, Maui. Cousins had been a troubled youth, often in trouble with the law and even living on the streets. Being fed at Saint Theresa's Church in Kihei eventually inspired him to do the right thing and open his own health food restaurant. His motivation for opening the business was not to make money, but to provide his family and community with healthy snacks, to employ people who need a helping hand (like he did), and to encourage his customers to "pay-it-forward" by contributing to a program that helps to feed the hungry with healthy foods. "I went from someone who wasn't doing Maui any good to someone who is making a difference," says Cousins.
Also featured are student-created stories from the following schools:
Waianae Intermediate School (Oahu): Sosefina Matautia, once a self-professed bully at Waianae Intermediate School, decided to do the right thing and change her ways. While becoming a kinder, better person benefitted those around her, Sosefina was motivated to change because of her own dreams of someday becoming a doctor.
Seabury Hall Middle School (Maui): Led by math teacher Debi Davis, Seabury Hall Middle School students do the right thing for the less fortunate by weaving colorful yarn hats that are distributed around the world to help brighten the lives of underprivileged children.
Kealakehe High School (Hawaii Island): Students and other community members in Kona do the right thing by banding together to build Habitat for Humanity homes for families on the Hawaiian Homes wait list.
Waianae High School (Oahu): Sometimes doing what you know is right requires great sacrifice. Sometimes doing what is right means doing less for yourself. Such is the case with Waianae High School student Daisy Agae, whose grades suffer because she has to take care of her two younger brothers, one of whom is a special needs child born with debilitating medical conditions.
Hawaii Preparatory Academy (Hawaii Island): Hawaii Island resident William "Black" Abraham was headed down the wrong path as a young adult, until he decided to do the right thing and dedicate his life to saving lives. He did so by becoming an Ocean Safety Officer at Hapuna Beach and is now inspiring the next generation of lifesavers through his Junior Lifeguard training program.
Kamehameha Schools Maui High (Maui): An East Maui couple do the right thing by taking in and caring for animals with debilitating and life-threatening illnesses. As a result, their home has become the East Maui Animal Refuge, more affectionately known as the Boo-Boo Zoo. This episode is hosted by Waiakea Intermediate School in Hilo, Hawaii.
This program encores Saturday, Sept. 3 at 12:00 pm and Sunday, Sept. 4 at 3:00 pm. You can also view HIKI NŌ episodes on our website, www.pbshawaii.org/hikino.